Bali Provincial State Museum (Negeri Propinsi Bali)

Bali Provincial State Museum (Negeri Propinsi Bali)

Bali Provincial State Museum (Negeri Propinsi Bali)
3.5
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To support tourism in Bali known as the paradise island, we provide a reliable transport solution for business or pleasure. Our website has been created to be user friendly and allow you to book online or speak directly to our team. We are committed to making sure your time in Bali is stress free and we appreciate your feedback to continue to improve our services.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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3.5
3.5 of 5 bubbles181 reviews
Excellent
22
Very good
60
Average
70
Poor
19
Terrible
10

Pathfinder819384
United Kingdom17 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
Nice scenery.

I went there to have professional photos taken as part of my honeymoon and paid 1 MILLION IDR which is about £54 GBP for 5 ppl.. Cash only, Standard charge is IDR 50,000 per person which is about £2.70 GBP. If you plan on coming here for scenic pics it's nice but that's it.

Whilst I understand people have to make a living and fees change for photography, the charge is excessive.

Bottomline save your IDR 50k and get some food instead as its very underwhelming for a "museum" On a plus side the wife is happy with the pics so I'm good!! 😂
Written 4 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Aleesha
Brisbane, Australia79 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Family
We had planned to visit the temple next door however it was closed due to renovations. We decided to tour the museum instead. Entry price was 50,000 IDR each, which is fine.

The grounds were beautiful but we were forced to have a ‘guide’ for our visit and despite paying the 50,000 IDR entry fee for each person, we were then pressured to pay more cash to each ‘guide’. We said no multiple times, but they continued to hound each of us until we handed over a small amount of money. This was uncomfortable for us as adults and overwhelming for our children. We left after only seeing two buildings because it was too much. I would avoid this place at all costs.
Written 13 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Escapementality
195 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022 • Couples
The museum grounds and architecture are beautiful, and the exhibits interesting, however, the place feels more like a scam than a well-run state museum.

At the ticket office we were assisted by a man standing at the desk, who could easily be mistaken for an employee of the museum (and indeed may have been). Tickets were 50,000 per person, and although the museum does not have card facilities, we were just able to scrape together enough cash to pay for entry for all four of us.

The person who assisted us in purchasing the tickets then guided us around, stopping also for a high-pressure art sale even though he knew we had no money with us. We did not ask for a tour guide, nor were there any prices displayed at the ticket office or mentioned by the self-appointed guide.

The information he provided was interesting, and we would have been completely happy to pay for his services, but the way in which the "guide" asked for payment was extremely disappointing. After having us climb to the top of an old tower with steep, slippery tiled stairs with no hand rail, despite two of our party being seniors, he instructed us to pay him 300,000. When we said again that we had no money after paying the entrance fee, he insisted on walking us to an ATM some distance from the museum complex to get cash.

For this reason, I could not recommend the museum to others, especially solo travellers who may feel unsafe after being cornered for cash and marched off to an unknown location, and anyone who may feel uncomfortable ascending/descending a rickety tower in such a high-pressure situation.

It wasn't until I discovered many other reviews on here mentioning similar experiences and the fact that the guide makes sure to demand money when you are at the top of a tall platform with only one escape that I realised exactly what tactics were being used. It is a shame that guides engage in this behaviour, and that the museum so obviously condones it.

If the museum wants to make having a guide compulsory, I wish they would just include the cost in the entrance fee. I can't imagine many tourists interested enough in Balinese culture to spend their vacation time inside a hot building would baulk at paying an extra $7.50 on top of the entrance fee (which is what the requested sum amounted to per person). But the underhanded way in which this is currently run does little to enhance the reputation of the museum - and, according to other reviews, may make tourists sceptical of the validity of the information they are receiving, impacting visitors' impressions of Bali more generally.
Written 2 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KutuBuku
Sweden181 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022
A great museum with very good ethnographic collections full of historical values from Balinese culture. For the museum itself, I'd give it 4.5 stars.

But what made the experience really awful was that there was a local "guide" from the museum who insisted on following me around. I didn't want to get any service from him because this wasn't my first visit to Bali (I grew up in Indonesia and visited Bali countless times), but then I pitied him due to the pandemic situation and let him follow me around. Basically, I already knew almost everything he informed me, of which I told him I already knew too. I knew he was gonna ask for some money afterwards, but I didn't know he was gonna be a leech. I did give him some standard gratuities voluntarily, but he complained and strongly insisted for me to pay him twice as much as I had originally given him.

I would still recommend anyone to visit this place at least once because of the historical values, but I would strongly recommend visitors to get rid of this kind of corrupt local "guides". If you do want to help the locals make some money, you can always buy their products and have them as souvenirs. But definitely not involuntarily having to waste money on things that don't have a clear price like this - a definite scam. It really felt like it was an armed robbery where I just had to give him my money. Never let this kind of people use the kindness of your heart because they'll tear off your heart instead and ruin the whole experience.
Written 20 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

petertaylor57
Auckland Central, New Zealand385 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
If you've been in Bali more than a few days, you've probably seen more diverse art and culture in the local boutiques and galleries, so Bali Museum will present you with little that's new. Stones, Barongs, Hindu figurines, etc. 50,000 rupiah to go in and you will immediately be accosted by a guide asking for a further 100,000 to give you a tour. Definitely not worth it. Just have a wander by yourselves. The best part is probably the museum buildings themselves which, I was told, were part of a former palace. All in all, just a time filler.
Written 26 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brian F
Adelaide, Australia125 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019 • Solo
This museum is quite informative with extensive literature in English explaining different periods of Balinese history. Sometimes the translation isn’t quite correct, but you get the gist. There are only 4 main rooms / buildings, so it’s relatively small, but I was still there an hour or so. The museum costs 50,000rp, so very cheap really.

There is no real reason for the guide if you’re willing to read the boards. They may have been able to add a little more detail if I used one. If you do, I would make sure to barter a reasonable price beforehand judging from what others have said. I didn’t find them aggressive at all and just said no thank you in Indonesian and he walked away.

Tips-
I nearly walked into the temple next door by mistake when going to the museum, without a sarong. I was quickly stopped by a local, we had a little giggle and pointed me further along to the museum entrance. It’s actually reasonably well signed.

Don’t be rude or get upset with the ‘guides’ and vendors. They’re just trying to earn a buck. I’ve found if you don’t need their services, just decline politely in Indonesian or Balinese and they tend to leave you alone.

This isn’t wheelchair friendly.
Written 29 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cliff burton
Tucson, AZ4 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019 • Friends
I went with some friends and we learned more about Bali. I wish they had more explanations on certain items.
Written 22 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KarenMChelmsford
Folkestone, UK147 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019 • Friends
You will be greeted by individuals offering to guide you through the buildings however this really isn’t needed as everything is labelled in English. Decline politely but firmly.

Four separate buildings containing a variety of artefacts. Strong smell of mothballs in most of the buildings.

If you’re in the area worth a visit but not sufficient to make a specific journey.
Written 30 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ko4egar
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019 • Couples
The museum is quite small, but has a few interesting expositions with some archeological artefacts and traditional dance costums.

Our visit was really spoiled by quite an aggressive guide (whom we didn't ask to accompany us), and made us feel like we were trapped in a scam for tourists. He demanded we pay him after we had already paid the entrance fee and actually did not even introduce himself as a guide. There was no mention of the price of the tour before we entered the place.
More than half of the tour was dedicated to trying to make us buy from local vendors on the museum grounds. It was extremely unpleasant to repeat that we were not there for shopping and keep telling that we did not have cash on us.

Our experience was very similar to other recent less positive reviews posted here. If only we would have read them earlier!

The whole thing was extremely disappointing and left us with a bitter feeling.. it was the worst we had experienced during our stay in Bali..

We wouldn't advise anyone to come to this museum. If you do go, make sure to refuse the guide and explore the exhibition on your own.
Written 18 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ECWorld
Hong Kong, China2,719 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019
A rather small museum consisting of four buildings. Interesting displays in each building with a theme for each building. Air-con in some of the rooms were insufficient. However no overall flow for the four buildings. Garden was tranquil and quite pretty. Admission fee a bit stiff, but fortunately we declined the service of the 'museum tour guide' since we did not have time for an extended stay.
Written 15 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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BALI PROVINCIAL STATE MUSEUM (NEGERI PROPINSI BALI): All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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